GIVE this Chelsea team a hurdle right now and Rafa Benitez's side will fall over it. But, even by their recent standards, this collapse was extraordinary.

Reading Two goals up with four minutes left, Chelsea were cruising towards a fifth successive away Premier League win and all was well.

But then two goals from substitute Adam Le Fondre saved Reading a point they never looked remotely like getting throughout the previous 86 minutes.

Adam Le Fondre scored a late double to give the Royals a draw

As an implosion, it was astonishing. Benitez's task in the four months he has left as Chelsea's interim manager, as was made clear to him before this game, is to keep his team in the league's top four.

If this kind of form goes on – and this collapse followed a dismal performance at Brentford in the FA Cup on Sunday and a limp exit from the Capital One Cup at Swansea four days previously – there can be few who would confidently stake their house on that.

Owner Roman Abramovich and the hierarchy were reportedly furious with the performance at Griffin Park. When the Russian receives reports from this debacle, he will surely be apoplectic.

Goals from Juan Mata and Frank Lampard had set Chelsea up for one of the most comfortable wins of the season, against a team that had not mustered a shot against them up until the 75th minute. But then, the roof fell in on Chelsea.

Le Fondre has now scored five goals in his last three league games, each time after starting as a substitute.

The £300,000 former Rotherham striker arrived from the bench against West Brom at home to equalise with a penalty and then notched two after coming on at Newcastle to earn his side a win.

With Chelsea cruising, Le Fondre fastened on to fellow substitute Hope Akpen's pass to screw a shot past Ross Turnbull which looked like a mere consolation on a night when Reading had been outplayed.

But then, in the dying moments, Chelsea nervously failed to clear a high ball from goalkeeper Adam Federici and Akpen nodded down for the unmarked Le Fondre to volley home. The Madejski Stadium went berserk. Chelsea's players slumped disbelievingly to the ground.

The club stay third, but this felt like a mortal blow. Benitez has long since been dismissed as having any chance of keeping the job at the end of this season, with Jose Mourinho hovering in the background.

Had Abramovich not already sacked one manager just 12 weeks ago, Benitez would be walking on very thin ice indeed now. As it is, there is little point in removing the Spaniard now, because there is no one else to appoint.

And it had all looked so good. Seconds before half–time, Chelsea, who had been the better team throughout the opening period, finally put together a penetrating move and took the lead.

Fernando Torres cleverly scooped the ball through for Mata to slide home his 15th goal of the season.

They should have been two goals to the good when an exquisite pass from Lampard caught out the Reading defence but Oscar hooked the ball wide of the post.

Reading fans hollered for Le Fondre to be summoned from the bench. But McDermott was keeping his powder dry.

Mata was again involved in the goal that seemed to end the game as a contest. The Spaniard's corner was typically pinpoint and Lampard was all alone six yards out as he thumped his header past Federici.

Only then did Le Fondre appear and what an impact he had. Surely McDermott has to start him in Reading's next game.